Don't give me that crap about a negative attitude. USS took my money. All I want from them is a Championship. They either deliver or we part company.

If you would like to hold USS in high esteem, be my guest. For me, they're a means to an end nothing more.


Negative attitude my butt! I know a scam when I see one.

Pete - You are being rediculously short sighted. US Sailing does much more for the sport than you WANT to see. Who do you think trains and certifies youth sailing coaches?????? Where is the future of our sport? In the kids!!!!!!! Granted most kids don't get enough exposure to cats, but that is up to us. I make a concerted effort at my club to get youth sailors on my boat. One so far, is hooked! He's a hell of a sailor to for a twelve year old kid How did he get that way???? He trained under a USS certified coach.

What about trained judges, PRO's and other race officials? Where do you think they come from????? Get your head out from where the sun doesn't shine and look at the big picture

Mike and Karl, I respectfully see your point, but how many years do we keep poking these people to no avail? When do we stop? we have talked about this, and heard from those who are pushing hard for us, but look at the facts.
What happened to the support for a multi at the olympics?
Now they want us to "take a year off and regroup"?

Sounds like they are trying to push us under the carpet until we say enough is enough and we split ways.

If Im saying this out of context, or if the support has come around, please correct me.
Bottom line, Im not at in S F Bay, or in Pensacola, or in an area where there are the training camps, so I dont see the support of USS. I only see them slighting the multihull crowd, and telling us to hang in there and keep sending us your money.

Karl, you're the one who can't see. Cat sailing is dead within USS. The powers that be want to redirect the Hoy-Jolly fund towards dingy sailing. That's why they killed the Tornado.

My sport is catamaran sailing. It has no future within USS. They can train all the Optis and Lasers they want, but not with my money.


I will support cat sailing, nothing else.

I'm paid up for '09, I'll attend the D south Qualifier. My next USS membership will be paid at the Area D qualifier in '10, if there is one. (and I doubt if you've read the entire thread, particular JW's opening post.)

I have to disagree with Pete alittle on this one, I do see a need to train Opti's and Laser sailors young, then we can win them over to the cat.

Not me. Wave's maybe.

The Hoyt-Jolley can't be redirected to another event. That's already been tried.

There is no "targeting" of multihulls specifically - they're targeting a weak event. The lack of class organization contributed to the Olympic decision and the lack of participation is what will result in the loss of the multihull championships. Only one or two areas out of 10 are doing well, with another one or two just getting by. It looks from the outside like a product that nobody wants to buy.

"That's already been tried." Now there's a story I'd be happy to hear about.

I'm sorry to hear that so many areas are not doing well. All the more reason to "keep my money at home" so to speak.

Nothing nefarious, Pete - there was an effort to use Alter Cup money to do some Youth Multihull Championship business a few years ago - the wording of the Fund isn't flexible. The Fund is only to be used to support the US Multihull Championship for the Hobie Alter Cup. That's when the Stevens Fund was established to support the Youth event.

So with that said, if you guys want this championship to survive support your area elimination. If you don't have one contact your area rep and get one organized. If you don't have rep then become one. If you have questions let me know I'd be happy to share my lessons learned.

Don't forget there is a changing of the guard taking place in the USSailing right now. What's true today may be very different tomorrow. Let's not let this great championship die.

You're a lot less cynical than I, but I'm much older.

Still, you can't escape the truth. If we are on the verge of loosing the Alter Cup, those of us who like racing cats will just have to put on our own shindig. Who knows, people are funny. If we change a defunct area D to a Peninsular Championship maybe it will actually be a greater draw.

It will be another weekend regatta on the schedule and will have the same draw and meaning as the rest of our weekend regattas.

There no way you are going to convince me that another weekend regatta has the same prestige and meaning as week long OD championship that tries to bring the best talent in the nation together to fight it out for the top spot.

You're probably right. But we can keep trying, a day on the water is still a day on the water.

Agreed Dave, changing of the gaurd and keep the Championship alive should be priorities for us.
Dangit, I may have to join to to piss them off that another multihull wants in

John and Dave Ingram have it nailed. You have to stop looking at this as a top-down thing, it's bottom-up. If there's no attendance at the qualifiers, there's no use for a championship. The rest falls from there.

Having said that, there is no magic formula to this. USSA doesn't actually run anything, local volunteers do. So, don't expect that even if we could we find 10,000 cat sailors to join USSA, there will be a USSA staff member to set up and run qualifiers around the country.

The closest thing we can get to "easy" is local people to work with a YC to host and run the events, as a fee-for-service deal. Those are never popular primarily because of the expense, and sometimes a lack of knowledge from the YCs on how to manage events that make cat sailors happy.

Mike

If you do join, wait until your area qualifier to do so.

Yes... it's bottom up and leadership by the OD class organization in promoting participation is the key here.

The leaders of the OD classes at the national and regional level have to make a decision on the Alter Cup. IS this Alter cup ladder championship valuable for their class to compete in or not.

In JW's terms... Is this a product you are willing to buy?

If yes,
They ask their sailors in various regions to get behind the qualifier regatta, and feature the event in their regional schedule, show up and race... the events could take off.

If the Alter thing is not in their class interest they can announce that it's up to each individual sailors to support it and just publish the dates on their class schedules. The status quot that we have now.

As brucat said.. no interest in qualifiers.. no need for a championship

So.. if you care... ask your class pres where they stand and will they lead and get their regional chairs on board?

Bob Hodges, (A class Pres)

Dave Ingram (F18 Class Chairmen)

Chris Wessels (Hobie classes pres)

Christina Perrin (Shark Class Pres)

Eric Rasmussen (Isotope Class 2008 champion)

??? Nacra 20 (Not sure who's in charge)

Bob Curry (Nacra F17 Class Pres)

Kirt Simmons, (F16 class Pres)

Any other class still organized?

Why should OD class presidents support events that are not OD?

One of the reasons I don't sail in the Area E AC qualifier is becuase it's 100% Portsmouth. The F17's dominate CRAM. The F17 has such a sweetheart rating, the only way I could qualify is either on that boat or my H-14 (which also has a sweetheart rating). Both are singlehanded boats - and a singlehanded boat has never been used in the Alter Cup.

The format of the qualifiers needs to change to doublehanded, OD class. Should be something similar to the class being sailed in the finals, but it doesn't have to be.

Before anybody whines and cries, this is the way all the other ladder events are conducted (for the other US Sailing Championships).

There is a strong doublehanded OD catamaran class out there, but the "spinnaker snobs" don't want anything to do with it. You're cutting off your nose to spite your face. Does it really matter what platform you're racing on as long as they're all alike?

"spinnaker snobs". Is that in opposition to the "non spinnaker snobs"? If the format is double handed, does that mean the A class or the Waves should not be included?

Matt

I believe that you can also qualify by winning a nationals like H16 which is OD. I think each manufacture can send a team to represent the class they want. You can also send in a petition to get in. If you want to go there is a way with out winning your area event.